The Alpha’s Desire 4(8)
From upstairs came a hiss and then a growl. This at least told me that both of them were still alive, more specifically Nira. These sounds continued, almost as if in a rhythm, making me think the fight to be at least evenly matched. A small squeal-ish groan escaped me, but no one seemed to notice, though the sound gave me a jolt. I wondered where the back-up crew of ours was. At first sign of trouble, they were supposed to come. That had been the deal. Did they not see this as trouble? Of course, they would know Nira’s skills better than I. Maybe they thought her fairly matched and would come when they deemed her in trouble.
I tried to assure myself that the thumps on the floor above us had to be worse than they sounded down here underneath them. This building being older, the wear and tear of time on the thin floors, all the explanations came. It took me a minute to grasp onto the fact that their combined beyond-human strength would go a long way to explaining the thumps and bumps that continued to unsettle me, making me even jumpier. I had two fistfuls of fur, as if holding on was all that was holding me up.
“Shit,” came with a female grunt, followed by the most intense hiss so far. “You fucking bastard.”
In answer to this, all I heard was a growl, which was mimicked by a faint but similar sound from Alex. I was sure it was taking everything in him not to help. I could feel his tension against me in the way his muscles bunched more and more. I understood the need to want to help – it was choking me – but it had to be worse for a being that knew he actually could. All I could do was probably blow them both across the room. There was no aim with these hands yet.
Suddenly, the profound stupidity of my insistence to be here hit me. I was already holding them back, preventing this wolf from saving the woman who had saved me. Beyond that, as the hisses and growls along with expletives continued on, it hit me that in that instance, I’d have been killed in an instant. I was no match for any of them. Yes, I had my magic, and I could probably push them back, maybe even stun or daze them like I had the guy in the black suit, but had I been on my own, could I have really managed to outrun him, to continue to use this power to hold an attacker back? Did it run out at some point? Those were all unknowns.
Thankfully, the vampires in the other groups outside heard the ruckus, deemed it dangerous, or decided Nora needed help, and went by us in a blur to the stairs. Next thing that we heard was a crack, like that of bones, followed by a yelp that came out high-pitched, but soon died off. As Nira, followed by two other vampires, walked down the stairs this time, I couldn’t shake off the wave of sickness that the sound of an injured wolf conjured up in me. I had to get past it quickly, though. I let the hot, fiery anger move back in, turning to thoughts of my Lex, and the fact that that wolf had probably played a part in hurting him.
When Nira got closer, I could see the claw marks across her face, open with skin hanging. They were deep, to the bone, making me gag, though I tried to swallow over it, not to let them know how horrible her face looked. Yet, even as I blinked against the darkness in a pathetic attempt to see better, the slices in her skin began to heal. A few more Royal werewolves had come into the space after the vampires, so I stood outside the group, but still pushed against the machine. A half a dozen paranormal warriors had gathered here, who were all thankfully on my side of this fight.
With only looks at each other, as if wolves and vamps spoke some secret language, they moved to the stairs as one unit. Although I didn’t need to be told, Alex looked back at me to make sure I was following. So, without a word, like the last battle, the first of the evening, had never happened, the group forged ahead. Me, shaking in my boots, literally and figuratively, followed behind with the realization that this was the first time I’d probably knowingly walked into danger. Such a moment can’t be described, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy; instead, I walked toward them waiting to see what else they had to dish out. Bizarre. There’s a word.
Chapter Five
Not a big fan of heights, moving slowly up the see-through stairs was a real blast, fraying my last nerve. As if it wasn’t bad enough that through the thin strips of metal I could see straight down to the hard floor, where I could fall to my death, the steps creaked and moaned with each step, from the group of us using them all at once. I kept waiting for the next attack of a true werewolf, given the noise we couldn’t help but make.